Damn it! If it weren't for the fact that they have the numbers, I would have grabbed the dagger and slaughtered him on the spot. I suppressed the fury in my heart and nodded at him, pretending everything was fine.
I took a flashlight from one of his henchmen and walked over to the coffin, peering through the gap. I knew full well that this was a fake Seven-Absolute Coffin and that there couldn't possibly be a corpse inside. I focused the beam on the four walls of the coffin, searching for a mechanism I could use to my advantage. To my surprise and delight, I found two wooden fish—one black, one white—carved at the front and back of the empty coffin.
They were Yin-Yang Fish! Together, they formed a Taiji Diagram, but here in the coffin, they were separated. This was the Yin and Yang separated into two poles! This fake Seven-Absolute Coffin was truly ingenious; the mechanism within had actually borrowed some of the mysteries of a real Yin-Yang Coffin. As long as the two poles of the Yin-Yang Fish were rotated according to the directions of Yin and Yang, the next mechanism would be triggered.
"Yin and Yang swapped, life and death reversed." When that happened, this fake Seven-Absolute Coffin would be the only way out of the entire Ancient Tomb.
Having grasped the mystery of the coffin, I was overjoyed. Damn it, since Master Huo and his gang dared to threaten me, I might as well use the tomb's mechanisms to finish them off. We were in a desolate wilderness, deep inside an underground Ancient Tomb—no one would ever find out. As for Morgan the Foreigner and his lot, they were no better, especially that Mecheng. I suspected that he was the one who had made the bloody hole in Old Bachelor Grandpa’s chest. Wiping them all out would be my revenge.
I took a deep breath, stifling my murderous intent, and went back to Master Huo.
"Well? Do you have a handle on it?" Master Huo asked, his sharp eyes fixed on me.
"I do, but I need two people to help me," I replied. Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi were decent enough; they weren't part of his inner circle. The crucial thing was that once the mechanism in this Ancient Tomb was triggered, even if I made it into the path to safety, I might not make it out alive. I needed to bring these two professional tomb robbers along for a chance at survival.
However, I didn't ask for them directly, fearing Master Huo might catch on. Since everyone knew this Seven-Absolute Coffin was dangerous—Morgan the Foreigner’s man had just lost his hands to it—Master Huo, determined to keep his advantage, would never let his own trusted men get hurt. He would definitely make Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi help me.
"You two, go help him!" Just as I expected, Master Huo pointed at Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi.
"Why us..." Lu Gouzi muttered, looking reluctant, but Old Pizi pinched him hard and dragged him over to the coffin with me.
"When I count to three, the three of us jump into the coffin together!" I whispered. Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi blinked, signaling their agreement.
"You two, one on each side, push the lid together. Make sure you use even force, and wait for my signal!" I said, putting on a show for their benefit. I glanced sideways at Mecheng. He was the one I was most worried about—the only other person here who understood the Seven-Absolute Coffin. If he realized what was happening, he would certainly try to stop it. But he only curled his lip in disdain, seemingly scoffing at my method of opening the coffin.
"One," I called out.
Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi pushed, and the gap in the coffin lid widened.
"Two!"
The lid was halfway open. It wasn't enough room for the three of us to jump in. I raised one hand to gesture while subtly pointing to a spot further back on the coffin with the other, signaling them to push the lid to that position. Seeing them exchange a look and acknowledge, I shouted, "Three!"
The moment I yelled, they shoved the lid to the designated spot. We all dove into the coffin at the same time. As I landed, I stretched my arms out, grabbed the Yin-Yang Fish on both sides of the coffin, and twisted them in the directions I had calculated in my mind.
*Click!*
As the wooden fish turned, the lid that had just been pushed open snapped shut as if by a spring.
*BOOM!*
*Creak...*
Strange, cacophonous sounds erupted from outside. Hiding in the Seven-Absolute Coffin, I could feel the ground shaking violently.
"Oh no, it’s collapsing! Run!"
*Bang! Bang!*
"Argh!"
As the shaking intensified, shouts, the sound of falling bricks and stones, and blood-curdling screams filled the air outside. I was delighted. It was just as I had planned: Yin and Yang swapped, life and death reversed—this fake Seven-Absolute Coffin was the only path to survival. As for those people outside, it was good they were dead; none of them were good people anyway. Even if those scumbags were dragged out and shot without an investigation, not one of them would be wrongly killed.
The chaotic noise outside continued, with bricks occasionally slamming against the coffin lid, making my head spin. The coffin rocked incessantly, tossing me back and forth like a boat on rough seas. In the confusion, I felt my head strike something.
*Click!*
A sharp mechanical sound followed. *Damn it!* I realized something was wrong; I must have triggered another mechanism. We were in a tomb that was about to collapse—hitting a wrong switch was the last thing I needed. Before I could react, the floor beneath me gave way. My body plunged downward, accompanied by the screams of Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi. A moment later, I felt myself sliding down a slope, tumbling uncontrollably due to gravity. My head was already spinning, and after a few more impacts, I lost consciousness.
...
"We're rich! We're finally going to be filthy rich, haha!"
"Damn, I’ve hit the jackpot! This is it!"
When I came to, I heard hysterical, manic laughter. It sounded like ghosts shrieking; for a moment, I thought I had died and ended up in the underworld. I opened my eyes to see Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi jumping and dancing around like lunatics. I tried to stand up, but my body felt like it had been shattered, and the pain made cold sweat break out all over me.
"Jiang Feng is awake!"
"Are you alright?"
They noticed me and rushed over, beaming with excitement. I shook my head, waited a moment, and finally managed to sit up.
"What's wrong with you two? Are you possessed or just crazy? What were you laughing about?" I asked.
"Laughing? Heh, look closely—there are exquisite murals all over this place! We've made it into the real Ancient Tomb! All the treasures in this tomb will belong to the three of us!" Lu Gouzi said, sweeping his flashlight around and pointing, his face filled with exhilaration.